NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs: Harvick locks in; Reddick, Dillon experience issues
Fifteen drivers are now locked into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs following Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
Kevin Harvick locked into the playoffs with a 14th-place finish in Sunday’s race.
Harvick is now locked into his 15th career playoff appearance, including a streak of 12 consecutive appearances.
Tyler Reddick holds the final playoff spot by 25 points over Austin Dillon.
Reddick entered Sunday with a 28-point advantage but lost points after wrecking late and finishing 29th. He earned three stage points after finishing eighth in Stage Two.
Reddick can lock into the playoffs if he earns at least 35 points in the August 28 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (7:30 p.m. ET; TV: NBC, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Dillon, who finished 36th after wrecking at the end of Stage Two, earned ten stage points after finishing third in Stage One and sixth in Stage Two before wrecking.
Dillon is one of 14 drivers who are in a must-win situation at Daytona. However, he can get into the playoffs if he scores 26 more points than Reddick.
Dillon cannot tie Reddick in points as Reddick would win the tiebreaker because of having a better best finish than Dillon.
Reddick’s best finish of 2021 was a second-place finish at Homestead. Dillon’s best finish was a third-place finish in the Daytona 500.
SOURCES:
NASCAR
Racing-Reference.Info
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com